Caretaker
by Silawen
Summary: Rob is sick and Sabu plays nursemaid. Sortof... RVDSabu Slash.


Another city, another hotel room, and this one suspiciously cheap and tawdry. Sabu wasn't exactly sure why they'd decided to stay here instead of the fancy one most of the WWE superstars had chosen, but he was pretty sure it had to do with some sort of authentic ECW feel. Either that or Sandman was feeling cheap again.

Rob was busy talking to Dreamer, probably begging him to take Sandman far, far away from his rattled nerves. Jim had been his charming self, as usual, but a bit too loud. Rob, with all the accompanying whining, had been complaining about feeling bad all day, so it was quite obvious why Dreamer was supposed to drag his obnoxious friend along. The same reason why Tommy and Jim would be sharing a room, actually, though that happened 99 of the time anyway. They all knew how things worked, whether Sabu wanted to admit it or not. After so much time together it was silly to assume that their two friends hadn't figured out the deal. They'd probably realised things were different between Rob and him ages ago.

He relaxed in the chair, not bothering with his bags. Why unpack when they were leaving again the next day? So he just sat there, staring outside and pretending it wasn't drizzling with rain. It was painfully obvious that the night would be another useless one, filled with crackling thunder and Rob's shuddered movements at every bang. Somehow his partner managed to be completely fine with storms when awake, but once asleep he couldn't help but twist and turn uncomfortably, keeping Sabu awake and agitated. It wouldn't be the first time that Sabu found himself lying on the floor, or – pretty much the norm – he'd wake Rob up and have him relocate instead.

Probably not this time, though. As Rob sagged down on the bed, Sabu could see the discomfort on his face. In fact, he looked feverish. Raising an eyebrow, he didn't comment, but he did take note not to get too close to him.

"I feel like hell."

Grinning, that was too easy, Sabu gave a nod. "You sure look like it."

Unfortunately, Rob didn't respond, thus not adding to Sabu's prime time amusement. Instead he downed a few pills, much like Sabu was used to doing, and gave him the finger. If Rob wasn't up to talking, then he really was bad off.

"What's up with you, then? It better not be fucking contagious."

"Think I've got a fever," Rob answered, feeling his own forehead. "I'm blaming Hack." A frown. "God, this sucks."

Shrugging, Sabu watched lazily as Rob undressed. Usually he'd be rather interested in that, but having to listen to Rob whine about being sick did nothing for his appeal. In fact, the unhealthy glow about him made Sabu consider asking for a separate room, but he knew the flood of bitching that would result in would not be worth it. The thought was nice, having a nice, quiet room for himself, but he didn't really like the idea of being alone after that. Peace and quiet became empty and alone way too easily.

Rob entered the bathroom, leaving Sabu to focus on the rain again. There wasn't anything else to do, as the TV they'd been promised had a broken screen, and not even the end of the world could get Sabu to read any of the books Rob had brought.

"I really am sick," Rob stated as he walked out of the bathroom, not nearly as annoyed as Sabu would have expected. Clearly the mere idea of getting some time off and being able to spend it lying in bed, being lazy, was a pleasant one. Rob was a lazy fucker, he'd always known.

"How did you figure that one out, then? A headache and a bit of a raised temperature is nothing."

"I stuck a thermometer up my ass. Ironic, isn't it?" Rob smiled slyly, looking incredibly amused with himself.

"That's a very weak joke, Rob. Because even i if /i my dick was only the size of a thermometer, you'd still suck it willingly."

As expected, Rob didn't even bother to reply to that. Glaring was all Sabu got, a clear sign that his lover was not amused at all with the way Sabu was talking to him. Then again, he rarely was.

"I'm going to bed," Rob snapped, quickly shrugging out of his clothes and crawling onto the bed. Before Sabu had a chance to object, he'd already turned the covers over and moved underneath. Stubbornly closing his eyes, Rob seemed intent to ignore everything else.

Sabu sighed, quite sure he should have felt guilty by now. Decided it wasn't worth it, he left the room in search of Tommy. At least he'd be better company.

When Sabu returned, slightly buzzed from the alcohol he'd consumed, he found that everything was the same as he'd left it. Lights still on, clothes on the floor, and Rob sprawled on the bed. The covers had shifted, pointing towards a lot of tossing and turning from Rob, but that was about it. Except...

Walking over, he could almost feel the heat radiating from his lover. His skin glistened in the light, the shirt he was wearing soaked with sweat, and were he honest Sabu'd admit that he was concerned. Rob was burning up, and somehow Sabu knew that it wasn't just a fever. Just touching Rob's brow told him as much.

"Fuck," he murmured, suddenly not sure what to do. What did one do when they found someone – not just someone, i Rob /i - with a severe fever, dangerously so? Call an ambulance, perhaps, but that sounded just wrong. Sabu didn't call ambulances, and he certainly didn't want to bring Rob to the one place he hated above all. And he knew Rob hated hospitals too. Yet it sounded like a logical decision.

Hurrying to the bathroom, he grabbed a towel and soaked it in cold water. At least he knew how to do something like this. He'd seen movies, hell even people in hospitals, drape wet rags over people's foreheads, providing just that little bit of comfort.

Being careful not to make Rob notice, he put the cool thing in place. Then he just stood there, not sure what to do. Leaning in, he was quiet yet insistent.

"Rob, Rob wake up. Rob! Come on, tell me what to do."

Eyes fluttered open, and Sabu could see that they were disorientated yet trying to focus on him. For a second he wondered why he hadn't brought Rob to the hospital by now – most people would have – but he also knew his partner wouldn't want to deal with the hassle. Whether that was for Sabu's sake or his own, he didn't know.

A hand reached out to touch the wet towel on Rob's forehead, and there was an unmistakable frown.

"Did you do that? Feels good."

Rob sounded almost innocent, though Sabu knew he wasn't. Far from it. Yet right now... Gone was the pretence of arrogance, the brilliant smiles, the never-ending charm of Rob Van Dam. He was left with just Rob, feeling retched but still taking time to come up with small-talk and compliment him.

Sabu swallowed. He wasn't sure he could deal with this.

"No, of course not. Tommy had Beulah over and she couldn't help but be nosy. I would have let you burn," he muttered, ignoring the fact that she wasn't actually around. Beulah would have done something like this, though, so it didn't matter, and Rob didn't know. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, anyway, even on a good day.

"Oh." Rob's face scrunched up, brow sweaty and cheeks aflame. "That's nice."

A nod, and Sabu evaded the hand that was reaching for him. He was pretty sure that if he were to touch Rob's forehead he'd find it burning. By the looks of him, the room should have been on fire ages ago. In a way it scared him, though as long as Rob was still talking then things would be fine.

"Here, take these," Sabu ordered, handing his lover even more pills. Some water, too, and soon Rob had gulped them all down. Exhausted, he relaxed back into the pillow.

"Thanks." Just a whisper.

Absentmindedly touching the cell phone in his pocket, Sabu wondered if it wasn't time to swallow his pride – better yet, his grouchy demeanour – and call for an ambulance, or at least knock on someone's door. He was tired, though, and it would be such a fucking hassle. Besides, Rob had closed his eyes and seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep again. Sleep would do him good.

There was a flash of worry when Sabu checked if he was still breathing, but a noisy murmur quickly replaced that with annoyance. He was never going to get any sleep with Rob in that state. Damn him for being so inconsiderate.

And there was only one bed, too. Where was he supposed to sleep? Limbs were everywhere, causing Sabu to wonder if the fever had caused several more to grow. Rob wouldn't mind, he could always use some more 'educated feet'. It was all the education he got these days, really. With the way Rob smoked his weed, there was more going out than there was going in.

"Rob, roll over," Sabu ordered, poking him in the ribs. He was taking up way too much space. Hoping he could get him to stay to the right side of the bed with some pillows, Sabu again tried moving him. But after several friendly pokes – and some unfriendly ones – Rob still hadn't moved much.

"Roll over, damnit!"

A murmur, nothing more, then Rob was quiet again. Fever or not, he was going to get his ass kicked in the morning.

Crossing his arms, annoyed at Rob's tendency to be like a beached whale when asleep, Sabu considered his options. He'd managed to get Rob at least somewhat towards the right side of the bed, but not by much, and he doubted the remaining space would leave him very comfortable. Muttering to himself, Sabu attempted once more to push Rob away from him.

"Sabu?" Another murmur, soft and drowsy. Like Rob was neither asleep nor awake, more in-between. Was he dreaming, perhaps?

"What?!" Sabu snarled, resisting the urge to slap Rob in the face with the towel. Perhaps then he'd stop being such a lump of dead weight. Rob an excellent worker? Obviously not, for Sabu had a hard time carrying him through this one.

He looked at Rob's lips moving, but couldn't hear a thing, not even when he leaned in further. It was like his partner was muttering to himself, quite avidly telling stories he didn't want Sabu to know about. Sitting down on the side of the bed, tired, Sabu just watched as Rob tossed and turned. There was some whimpering and wailing, like a child with a stubborn cold, but there was also the uttering of soft words and fragmented sentences. Did Rob think he was talking to someone? If so, who?

Realizing he was curious about that, Sabu forced himself not to care. Rob had dreamt before, and while the guy was overly chatty about everything else in life – God forbid he start about his comic books – this he didn't want to talk to Sabu about. He'd never brought it up, not even when Sabu had casually mentioned them, and no nightmare could make him. Strange.

Cursing at himself – when had he become this soppy? – Sabu reached out and touched Rob's forehead, almost shocked at the heat. He really should call the hospital, get someone to take care of him, but there was this weird urge not to. He didn't want people to see his partner this vulnerable, and – more importantly – he didn't want people to see i him /i this vulnerable. Because that was what he was, and knowing that made it even worse.

Brushing tawny hair back, some had escaped the usually tight restraints, he could just catch the breathy sigh. A smile on Rob's face, lit by the thunder that had finally started outside. A whip cracking, and his partner shuddered, the smile faltering.

Glaring at Rob, unsure whether or not he was awake, Sabu pulled back his hand. Damned fucker managed to annoy him even when asleep. That took some talent. There had been that tug at his heart, though, at the earlier flash of contentment on Rob's face.

"Fuck! Stop being such a pussy!" Sabu scolded himself, resolutely heading for the door. He needed some air. However, a whiny voice stopped him.

"Sabu?"

Damnit.

"What?!" he tried again, but besides some vague muttering – he swore he recognized the name 'Stone Cold' in there somewhere – Rob didn't reply. Staying here, Sabu knew he might get sick too. If Rob had been struck by it, then what chance did he have? And yet, it was impossible to just leave. Even if he could call for someone to come get him, or give Dreamer a call, he didn't want to. He cursed himself for it, but he honestly didn't want to.

"Bubbles."

Sabu blinked. "Huh?

Nothing.

"Stupid fucker," he commented, snorting, not sure who he was talking to, before sitting down again. It seemed the meds were finally kicking in, though, because Rob's restless moving had stopped – mostly – and his breathing had evened out. Somehow Rob fought it, though, eyelids fluttering, hands twitching, and there was a struggled whimper that caused Sabu to touch his forehead again. Obviously nothing had changed, but that was almost a relief.

"What are you mumbling about all the time, huh?"

A groan, then Rob turned away from him. Normally Sabu would have rejoiced at that, the thought of sleep a pleasant one, but right now he could do nothing but notice the irony. Sabu asked about his dreams, and Rob turned away. Typical.

Considering what he was about to do – stepping into bed with a sick man was never a smart plan – Sabu ignored his sensible side and propped some pillows up against Rob's back.

"Stay there!" he ordered, giving one of the pillows another good shove before stepping into bed. Making a face at the warm sheets – there was such a thing as too warm, and this felt like fever – he threw most of them away. He'd be cold, but at least he wouldn't be sick.

"Sabu?" That voice again.

"No, fuck off!"

Movement to his left, and bleary eyes – red and drooping – looked at him. Looked through him, almost, because right now nothing could get Rob to focus. He was awake, though, if barely.

"You aren't supposed to be awake, you moron. Go back to sleep."

Rob had turned on his other side, facing him now, and Sabu felt a heated hand on his arm. He tried shaking it off, get rid of the uncomfortable heat, but Rob wasn't getting the message. He never did. It was what had started this fucked up relationship they were in. How exactly it had evolved, Sabu didn't know, though it probably included some good fucks and Rob's persistence. The stubborn bastard.

"I'm sorry."

Sabu sighed. "Don't apologize for being sick. God knows I've been sick plenty of times."

Had he been someone else, he would have patted Rob's hand and told him it was fine, but instead he pushed the arm away roughly. He cared, too much so. He didn't want to care. Rob had never understood that, but caring so much scared the living fuck out of him.

"You're so goddamn annoying when you're sick, you know that? I mean, bubbles? Fuck!"

Confusion, Rob trying to get his head around it, but it probably hurt too much. There was a joke in there somewhere, if Sabu remembered it well enough in the morning.

"Forget about it. Sleep," he muttered, strangely gentle, and the quivering smile that Rob gave him before closing his eyes sent shivers up his spine. Brushing his partner's shoulder with his knuckles – it was all the affection Rob was going to get – Sabu turned to face the wall.

He really needed to forget about all this, and pray Rob did too. Hopefully in the morning neither would mention it. Closing his eyes, Sabu could already picture the pleased smile on Rob's lips, though. Not surprising, either. He'd gotten way too attached to Rob over the years, and it wouldn't end well. Sighing, he wondered what it would be that broke them. Shivering slightly, Sabu figured it would probably be him. But he hoped not.


End file.
